2+ Year Member

I have but I want to know more from today's pods because there is an era of doom and gloom with this profession I see heavily on this forum.

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Don’t base your want to go into a career off of a forum where you don’t even know if people are actual pods. Go talk to and shadow as many pods/doctors who work with pods as much as you can. My personal experiences have been completely different than most of the negative forum posts.

Have you ever been looked down upon because pod school is easier to get into than md school from your colleagues?

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There are thousands of jobs that are easier to get than becoming a podiatrist plus you might not study for so long and get into so much debt. People are respected for what they do and where they are. You earn respect whether you are teacher, waitress, hotel housekeeper, accountant or janitor at high school. It is easy to become an LPN, though I respect them when I come to the clinic to see my doc. I respect teachers that taught me in school and I respect plumber that gets to my house to fix plumbing issues. Everyone is needed and deserves respect if they do their job honestly and with effort. Choose a path you will be happy with.

Are salaries increasing and is this profession needed in the right direction after va legislation was signed?

Also those who are Podiatrists what is the best aspect of your job that give you career satisfaction?

Have you ever been looked down upon because pod school is easier to get into than md school from your colleagues?

Do you think you get the respect you deserve being a podiatrist?

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I don't think salaries have increased over the past couple of decades to adequately compensate the time, cost, and effort required to become a podiatrist.

The best aspect for me is the ability to be a trusted resource for patients with foot/ankle problems, and the satisfaction to apply my knowledge and training to manage the problems.

Yes, I have been looked down upon, primarily from some orthopedic surgeons. Fact is we did not go to medical school, we went to podiatry school. And we did not take the usmle or comlex. I am OK being a podiatrist, and at the same time I know that my service is very much needed even when there are orthopedic surgeons available.

I don't base my happiness upon the respect given by others, but from a financial perspective I don't think commercial health insurance companies give us the respect we deserve. But that's our own fault as a group for signing up for their plans.

I don't think salaries have increased over the past couple of decades to adequately compensate the time, cost, and effort required to become a podiatrist.

The best aspect for me is the ability to be a trusted resource for patients with foot/ankle problems, and the satisfaction to apply my knowledge and training to manage the problems.

Yes, I have been looked down upon, primarily from some orthopedic surgeons. Fact is we did not go to medical school, we went to podiatry school. And we did not take the usmle or comlex. I am OK being a podiatrist, and at the same time I know that my service is very much needed even when there are orthopedic surgeons available.

I don't base my happiness upon the respect given by others, but from a financial perspective I don't think commercial health insurance companies give us the respect we deserve. But that's our own fault as a group for signing up for their plans.

2+ Year Member

Do you think DPMs need to have a 3 year residency, or would they be ok practicing right out of school like dentists?

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Why would you even want that if you were a podiatrist? Dentists are not physicians and some states do require atleast a year dental residency. How on earth would you be able to do foot and ankle reconstruction or orthopedics with no residency? Lol. I’d imagine it to be extremely tough to cut into bones and flesh with the slightest clue of how to actually do the surgery.

Why would you even want that if you were a podiatrist? Dentists are not physicians and some states do require atleast a year dental residency. How on earth would you be able to do foot and ankle reconstruction or orthopedics with no residency? Lol. I’d imagine it to be extremely tough to cut into bones and flesh with the slightest clue of how to actually do the surgery.

Primary care no, but I think the 3 year residency is still needed so there isn’t a big disparity between who can do what within podiatry. I’d rather have all podiatrist be skilled (later on salaries and respect will follow)... than people still be confused on who can do when and what. I think it’s better.

Just to add more controversy and to throw this thread more off topic, I think podiatry is headed towards two paths of podiatric surgeon vs podiatrist where there will be 4 vs 1-2 year training programs, boarded by the different organizations. Less dilution of surgical cases to those that aren't interested.

7+ Year Member

Just to add more controversy and to throw this thread more off topic, I think podiatry is headed towards two paths of podiatric surgeon vs podiatrist where there will be 4 vs 1-2 year training programs, boarded by the different organizations. Less dilution of surgical cases to those that aren't interested.

2+ Year Member

Just to add more controversy and to throw this thread more off topic, I think podiatry is headed towards two paths of podiatric surgeon vs podiatrist where there will be 4 vs 1-2 year training programs, boarded by the different organizations. Less dilution of surgical cases to those that aren't interested.

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If that change happens, I am fine with it; as long as I am compensated fairly for those 4 years of training.

This is a model that I could see being a natural evolution that will exist long before the AACPM or COTH makes any curricular changes . DPMs tend to, generally, niche out towards the poles. At one end of the spectrum, heavy rearfoot, TAR's, external fixation, charcot, etc- and on the opposite end ( i hesitate to use 'lower end', as these cases aren't any less valuable in terms of ensuring positive outcomes and often more lucrative)- your bread and butter corns, callus, chip &clips, orthotics, the odd nail avulsion here and there, and then a full or half day in surgery doing bunions and hammertoes 1x/week.

As a profession, I think we're standing at an evolutionary fork in the road, with many clammering for relentless pursuit of the ever elusive 'parity' pathway (which will never be fully achieved IMO solely due to the fact the definition/metrics to determine parity vary widely depending on who you ask) , or this sort of, hyperniche route as described above. I think there is merit to both cases, but ultimately the latter is the path of least resistance and thus our most likely future as I see it. Definitely not a bad thing- I know plenty of filthy-comfortable dentists. It also provides a natural solution to some of the persistent, pressing issues (ABPM vs ABFAS board certs, non RRA residency slots...)

7+ Year Member

Do you think residency requirements will change again? I was under the assumption that is what led to the crisis back in 2012-2013 was changing from a 2 to 3 year residency without enough to go around.

I would also be interested to see what happens with midlevels and podiatry. Obviously, PAs and NPs cant do surgery, but they could certainly do injections, corns callus, nails avulsions, primary care pod stuff. How much foot surgery needs to be done? Is it enough to make a career out of it? There are already NP cardiologists, how much longer till they turn their gaze to the foot and ankle? Granted, ew feet will always keep some away.

This is a model that I could see being a natural evolution that will exist long before the AACPM or COTH makes any curricular changes . DPMs tend to, generally, niche out towards the poles. At one end of the spectrum, heavy rearfoot, TAR's, external fixation, charcot, etc- and on the opposite end ( i hesitate to use 'lower end', as these cases aren't any less valuable in terms of ensuring positive outcomes and often more lucrative)- your bread and butter corns, callus, chip &clips, orthotics, the odd nail avulsion here and there, and then a full or half day in surgery doing bunions and hammertoes 1x/week.

As a profession, I think we're standing at an evolutionary fork in the road, with many clammering for relentless pursuit of the ever elusive 'parity' pathway (which will never be fully achieved IMO solely due to the fact the definition/metrics to determine parity vary widely depending on who you ask) , or this sort of, hyperniche route as described above. I think there is merit to both cases, but ultimately the latter is the path of least resistance and thus our most likely future as I see it. Definitely not a bad thing- I know plenty of filthy-comfortable dentists. It also provides a natural solution to some of the persistent, pressing issues (ABPM vs ABFAS board certs, non RRA residency slots...)

2+ Year Member

Do you think residency requirements will change again? I was under the assumption that is what led to the crisis back in 2012-2013 was changing from a 2 to 3 year residency without enough to go around.

I would also be interested to see what happens with midlevels and podiatry. Obviously, PAs and NPs cant do surgery, but they could certainly do injections, corns callus, nails avulsions, primary care pod stuff. How much foot surgery needs to be done? Is it enough to make a career out of it? There are already NP cardiologists, how much longer till they turn their gaze to the foot and ankle? Granted, ew feet will always keep some away.

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I was speaking in the way, distant future on that. Don't see any of it transpiring anytime soon, and who knows if it even will.
The midlevel provider bubble will be popping soon. Yeah, they fall under the 'Threat' in a SWOT analysis to us, sure. However.... while they serve a vital role in healthcare, theyve experienced enormous popularity and really uncapped growth for the past, geez, 10, 15 years? Mostly because that was a niche that was needed and not filled. Now, with all these fast track programs, the pendulum is bound to swing back in the other direction. Soon. The quality of the median midlevel provider, GENERALLY SPEAKING (there are tremendous midlevel providers I'd trust over many MD/DO's), is going to drop and hospitals will notice and tighten or restrict their roles and deployment. It sounds great when you're saving $$$ on the front end but it doesn't matter all too much if you're paying out the a$$ on the back end settling out of court for an over site.
^Please don't misinterpret any of this as bashing midlevels. Its just the law of averages

Are salaries increasing and is this profession needed in the right direction after va legislation was signed?

Also those who are Podiatrists what is the best aspect of your job that give you career satisfaction?
As a Podiatrist, I get great satisfaction from helping people who are in a great deal of pain or may lose (all or part of) their foot.

Have you ever been looked down upon because pod school is easier to get into than md school from your colleagues?
Here in Northern NJ, most of the MD's seem to treat us with respect. That respect is not given to us though, it has to be earned. We get referrals from the internists all the time. There is one Orthopedic group (that has a foot fellow) that refers to me weekly for non surgical care.